Sled



Sept. 4, 1934- A, l., MCGREGOR 1,972,349

SLED

Original Filed March 17. 1932 Patented Sept. 4, 1934 'secs SLED Allanl.. McGregor, Stevensville, Mich.,

assignor of one-half to .lohn De Vries, St. Joseph, Mich.

Application March 17,

1932, Serial No. 599,495

- Renewed February 1, 1934 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sleds, and has reference moreparticularly to that type of sleds which employs, in addition to theusual side runners, a central steering runner projecting more or less inadvance of the side runners and equipped with a steering handle by whichthe steering runner can be swung to one side or the other to direct thecourse of the sled.

One object of the present invention has been l0 to provide a sled ofthis type of very simple, sturdy and inexpensive construction, andanother object has been to provide a construction dispensing as far aspossible with the use of pivoted joints for the steering runner. A stillfurther object has been to provide a construction wherein the steeringrunner may be so mounted and supported as to be resiliently arcuatelyexible laterally and also, by a limited degree of yield in a verticaldirection, be capable of sliding easily over bumps or rough spotswithout imparting a severe jolt to the occupant, especially whencoasting. Still other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following detailed description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated one simple andpractical embodiment of the invention, and wherein- Fig. 1 is a top planview of the sled, broken off at the rear portion.

Fig. 2 is a perspective bottom View of the sled; and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section.

Referring to the drawing, the platform of the sled herein shown is madeup or the usual side bars l0, cross bars 1l, 12, 13 and le bolted orotherwise secured to the side bars, and center and side boards l5 and 16secured to the cross bars. The forward ends of the side bars are alsopreferably connected by a thin fiat metal strip 17 which overlies and isattached to the narrowed forward end portion of t1 e center board 15.The platform is supported on side runners 18 by splayed metal legs 19bolted at their upper ends to the ends of the cross bars 12 and 14 andat their lower ends riveted to the webs of the side runners 18, the endsof the upwardly curved forward portions of the side runners being boltedto the forward ends of the side bars 10.

Describing now the novel features of the present invention, secured tothe upper face of the center board l5 as by bolts 20 which may alsoextend through the cross bar 11, is a metal wear 21, to which is pivotedby a bolt 22 the rear end of a forwardly extending metal pilot strip 23.

ttached to the forward end of the strip 23 as by a rivet 24 is theupwardly and forwardly curved end of a thin flexible steel steeringrunner 25, the rear end portion of which is upwardly and rearwardlycurved and riveted in a loopshaped bracket 26 that is attached to theunder side or the cross bar 13. The forward bearing portion of thesteering runner 25 lies somewhat in advance of the forward bearingportions of the side runners, as is shown in Fig. 3.

Riveted to and extending crosswise of the strip 23 is a steering handle27.

Riveted to and extending between the front and rear upwardly curvedportions of the steering runner is a bar, which may consist of a singlesteel strip but preferably, and as herein shown, is made in front andrear ections 28 and 28 riveted together at 29 to form a tight frictionjoint. The rear section 2S of this brace bar eX- tends through and isriveted in a loop-shaped bracket 30, similar to the bracket 26, securedto the under side of the cross bar l2. This brace bar is a flexiblesteel strip preferably of the sanie stock as the steering runner itself,and, in the form shown, has a three-fold function. 1t holds the forwardend of the steering runner down into good traction Contact with the snowor ice and prevents severe upward strain on the pilot strip 23 and itspivot bolt 22; it laterally stiiens the steering runner and limits theside arcuate flexing thereof, at the saine time acting as a spring tohelp return the steering runner to central position; and, by reason ofthe friction joint 29, it can yield slightly in an upward direction,thus cushioning the shock of an encounter with a lump or ridge of snowor ice that might otherwise bounce the forward end of the sled upward.

When using the sled, the occupant steers by simply drawing inwardly onone endor the other of the steering handle 27. This causes a lateralarcuate flexing of both the steering runner 25 and its brace bar, theelasticity of the metal restoring the steering runner and handle bar tocentral position as soon as the stress is released.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that the parts of the sledare few and simple, and that no pivot joints other than pivot 20 areemployed in its construction. This latter is a practical considerationof some value, because nuts or pivot bolts are continually workingloose, unless locked on, and dropping olf in the snow and ice. Moreover,the steering runner when iiexed is itself curved and thus oers lessresistance to forward movement of the sled when changing direction froma straight line than do rigid steering runners which are pivoted so asto be bodily angled when changing direction from a straight line, thusgiving greater speed under given conditions due to lessened snowresistance against the steering runner.

The structural details shown and described may be considerably variedwithout departing from the spirit and purview of the invention as denedin the claims.

I claim:

1. In a sled, the combination with the platform and side runners, of alaterally arcuately flexible steering runner rigidly secured at its rearend portion to the under side of the platform, a steering handle, and aconnection from said handle to the forward end of said steering runnerthrough which angular movements of said handle impart side flexingmovements to said steering runner.

2. In a sled, the combination with the platform and side runners, of alaterally arcuately flexible steering runner rigidly secured at its rearend portion to the under side of the platform, a pilot bar pivoted onsaid platform and at its forward end connected to the forward end ofsaid steering runner, and a steering handle mounted on and crosswise ofsaid pilot bar. Y

3. In a sled, the combination with the platform and side runners, of alaterally arcuately steering runner rigidly secured at its rear endportion to the under side of the platform, a pilot bar pivoted at itsrear end on said platform and at its forward end connected to theforward of said steering runner, and a steering handle mounted on andcrosswise of said pilot forwardly of the pivotal connection of thelatter to the platform.

e. In a sled, the combination with a platform and side runners, of alaterally flexible steering runner formed with an upwardly and forwardlycurved front end portion and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rearend portion, said steering runner being secured at its rear end to theunder side of said platform, a laterally flexible brace bar secured toand extending between the said end portions of the steering runner andat an intermediate point thereof secured to the under side of saidplatform, a pilot bar pivoted on said platform and at its forward endconnected to the forward end of said steering runner, and a steeringhandle mounted on and .crosswise of said pilot bar.

5. In a sled, the combination with a platform and side runners, of alaterally flexible steering runner formed with an upwardly and forwardlycurved front end portion and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rearend portion, a depending bracket on the under side of said platform towhich the rear end of said steering runner is secured, a laterallyflexible brace bar secured to and extending between the said endportions of the steering runner, a bracket on the under side of saidplatform to which said brace bar is secured, a pilot bar pivoted on saidplatform and at its forward end connected to the forward end of saidsteering runner, and a steering handle mounted on and crcsswise of saidpilot bar.

6. In a sled, the combination with a platform and side runners, of alaterally flexible steering runner formed with an upwardly and forwardlycurved front end portion and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rearend portion, a depending bracket on the under side of said platform towhich the rear end of said steering runner is secured, a laterallyflexible brace bar secured to and extending between the said endportions of the steering runner, said brace bar being formed in frontand rear sections connected by a friction joint permitting upwardflexing of said front section, a bracket on the underside of saidplatform to which the rear section of said brace bar is secured, a pilotbar pivoted on said platform and at its forward end connected to theforward end of said steering runner,l and a steering handle mounted onand crosswise of said pilot bar.

ALLAN L. MCGREGOR.

